Your Career In Nursing

Helping people is a way of life for nurses. If you are caring, compassionate, understanding and interested in the science of how the human body works, nursing may be the challenging career for you.

A good nurse is a professional who can act on behalf of the patient, work well under pressure, and leave emotions and prejudices at home to treat every patient with respect.

Nurses work in a variety of settings and take on many different roles, from educator to caregiver to friend. “It is more than just passing pills and doing what the doctor wants you to do,” says Kate Bertke, a registered nurse in the emergency department (ED) at St. Rita’s Medical Center (SRMC). “You must be able to use critical-thinking skills and apply them to different situations.”

“You need to enjoy people. People are what make nursing nursing. You must be able to relate to your patients in any situation and not pass judgment,” says Bertke.

Bertke is a graduate of St. Marys Memorial High School and received her Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) from Ohio Northern University in 2011. She has been a registered nurse at SRMC for about a year but worked there as a nurse tech for about four years. Her ONU classmate, Eric Maag, a graduate of Columbus Grove High School, also works in the SRMC ED.

As a high school junior, Maag says, “I really dug deep, trying to find a career that would fit my personality and make an impact on people. I job-shadowed several professions, but nursing really stood out and fit into the categories I wanted to pursue.” He first attended college as a nursing major in Cleveland on a basketball scholarship, but after two years transferred to ONU’s nursing program to be closer to family.

Bertke says, “We care for a variety of patients on a day-to-day basis. There is no specialty in the emergency department; you see it all. I love the fast-paced environment and the need to be constantly ‘on your toes.’”

Maag adds, “Emergency nurses see many different patients in a day’s time, which requires you to know a little bit about every disease process. It is important to use the assessment skills you acquire in school and on the job to identify if the injury or condition needs immediate attention.”

That’s part of the attraction, Bertke says. “There are so many things that make me enjoy nursing, but mostly it is the patients that I care for. So many of the patients have life lessons that you can learn from. I also love the flexibility of nursing.”

Maag explains, “Nursing is always growing, and there are so many different options. If you don't like a job or the environment you’re working in, you won't have a difficult time finding something else that may be more suitable. Hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, etc., are always looking for nurses.”

Nursing is not for everyone, but for those who are up to the challenge, “it is one of the most rewarding careers I can think of,” says Bertke. “You are able to go home at the end of the day and know that you made a difference in someone's life even if it's as little as giving them a drink of water or listening to how their day is going. You are making a difference.”